[Currawong]

Guys, FYI I deleted some of the discussion about speakers. Please try and keep the discussion on topic. 

 

[Sonido]

So the Bakoon HPA-01 I ordered a while back came in today. This is a special amp because it output current gain, rather than voltage gain like pretty much every other amp. Because of current rather than voltage output, the amount of amplification is directly influenced by the impedance. For headphones with flat impedance curves like planars, it wouldn't be much different than traditional voltage amps, but for headphones that do not have a flat impedance like the HD800, each frequency will be amplified differently depending on the impedance at that frequency. Thus, it becomes colored for sure for a headphone like the HD800.
 
Pretty much if you're a huge fan of the HD650, and you're sad that the HD800 is more the spiritual successor to the HD600 in sound signature, and the closest thing you get is the black-sheep HD700, the Bakoon may be the amp for you. The difference is enough to be two difference headphones. Who needs a complementary headphone, when you get a complementary amp.

 
Here are some early impressions:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/664097/bakoon-hpa-21-headphone-amplifier/465#post_10814306
 
More on this current mode technology:
http://www.bakoonproducts.com/technology/satri-circuit/

 

[akhyar]

Not cheap... I got the 2m one in $1400. But with Furutech Carbon XLR Connectors.

 
Indeed it is not cheap. Can buy another HD800 for that price 

 
Right now I'm using WyWires RED with 4-pin XLR. Previously I was using Furutech ADL carbon connector but single-ended.
Both are copper cables and they give more "meat" to the bass slam and tame the treble a little bit, compared to the stock cable which is SPC

 

[RUMAY408]

  ^This.....Still, it does not mean you cannot have decent performance with lower end amps. Top end Sennheiser's (HD650's & HD800's) scale very well and reward the listener when they improve the chain. I love mine, but it took awhile to get there.

I want to apologize for my bad attitude last night.  
 
I totally agree its a journey.
 
Maybe the thing I love about the HD800 most, the more you go up the ladder (Amp, DAC, Source) the better it sounds.

 

[Justin_Time]

  The Silver Widow from Toxic Cables is a great match with the HD800's.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/641166/toxic-cables-silver-widow-headphone-cable-review

Just a word of caution: longbowbbs'  review of the Silver Widow was with the HD-650 not the HD800, which is a different animal when it comes to cable and amp.
 
Now another viewpoint.  I personally found that the HD800 was positively allergic to anything containing silver (see my discussion in http://www.head-fi.org/t/729976/matching-headphones-cables-amplifiers-harder-than-it-should-be-very-long-post)
 
I tried the HD800 with the Silver Poison and found the sound unbearably sibilant and hard. I am not saying that the Silver Poison is a bad cable, very far from it, it just is not a good match for the HD800.  On the other hand,  I tried both the Silver Poison and the Silver Widow with the LCD2 and LCD3 and they work absolutely great together.
 
 I personally found Frank's Copper Venom (OCC copper; 22 AWG rectangular wires; cryo treatment)  to be the best match for the HD800 (and the HE-6). Though the Copper Venom ain't cheap--I think they cost even more than the Silver Widow--I have never found anything better even at three times the price. 
 
Frank, you always wanted to know what I did with all those cables I bought from you.  Now you know.

 

[ToddTheMetalGod]

What do you guys do with your HD800 cable when you're not using them? I put the headphones back in the box with the cable coiled inside where my head would normally go, in between the cups. Unfortunately after only three days this is already resulting in the cable naturally coiling itself -_-.

 

[62ohm]

What do you guys do with your HD800 cable when you're not using them? I put the headphones back in the box with the cable coiled inside where my head would normally go, in between the cups. Unfortunately after only three days this is already resulting in the cable naturally coiling itself -_-.

 
I don't put mine in its box, I just hang it on a Woo stand and cover it with some sort of linen cover I got from a pair of shoes when not in use. 
 
 

Spoiler: Uncovered

 

Spoiler: Covered

 

[LilBuck]

Is that a Norne cable? How do you like it (and which is it)? Been thinking of grabbing one, they look really nice.

 

[akhyar]

What do you guys do with your HD800 cable when you're not using them? I put the headphones back in the box with the cable coiled inside where my head would normally go, in between the cups. Unfortunately after only three days this is already resulting in the cable naturally coiling itself -_-.

If you're talking about the unused stock cable, I just coiled it loosely and put it inside the original box

 

[ToddTheMetalGod]

I don't put mine in its box, I just hang it on a Woo stand and cover it with some sort of linen cover I got from a pair of shoes when not in use. 

Spoiler: Uncovered

Spoiler: Covered

I should get a stand and a cover, seems like a better place to store them. I started wrapping it around the outside of the headphones for now... this results in a lot less tangling. I kind of feel obligated to use the nice box, though .

 

[62ohm]

  Is that a Norne cable? How do you like it (and which is it)? Been thinking of grabbing one, they look really nice.

 
To be honest I don't think the cables make any difference at all as I suspect the improvements I heard were caused by going SE to Balanced (it's a Norne Skoll btw). I may get a Norne Draug V2 later on and do a direct comparison to know for sure by myself whether cables make difference or not. But yeah, TBH the major motivation of getting aftermarket cables for me is because of its looks 

 

  I should get a stand and a cover, seems like a better place to store them. I started wrapping it around the outside of the headphones for now... this results in a lot less tangling. I kind of feel obligated to use the nice box, though

.

 
Well I used to only hang them and not cover them, but that results in the necessity to clear the dust filter every 2 months max. You can also get a shorter cable if you are annoyed by the stock cable's length, I use a 5 ft. cable and life became much more enjoyable with the absence of my cable tangling problem.

 

[LilBuck]

   
To be honest I don't think the cables make any difference at all as I suspect the improvements I heard were caused by going SE to Balanced (it's a Norne Skoll btw). I may get a Norne Draug V2 later on and do a direct comparison to know for sure by myself whether cables make difference or not. But yeah, TBH the major motivation of getting aftermarket cables for me is because of its looks 

 

 
Oh I would be buying them mostly for looks and because I think the stock cable feels rigid (looks probably a bigger part). Any better sound is probably just gravy. Is it heavier than the stock cable?

 

[Moonhead]

Changing cables doesn't add anything IMO, and the stock cable on HD800 are really nice quality cable.
On the other hand sometimes I felt It was way to long with 3m I could easily live with one half the size and I where close to buying one fine cable from Forza audio works, just to get a shorter one.

 

[Sorrodje]

Changing cables doesn't add anything IMO, and the stock cable on HD800 are really nice quality cable.
On the other hand sometimes I felt It was way to long with 3m I could easily live with one half the size and I where close to buying one fine cable from Forza audio works, just to get a shorter one.

 
Same point of view here.  The stock Cable is very hard to live with . It's stiff , too long for a desktop use and as said before it always coils itself.  I bought a basic 1m50 cardas and was perfectly happy. I sold it recently because my Sonett offers a balanced mode and I'll order soon a XLR terminated cable from Forza Audioworks . Maybe two meters to have a bit more room to move around my desk. 
 
I didn't notice any sonic differences since I'm back to Stock cable. I expect more improvements with the Sonett Balanced mode.
 
@Monnhead ; You own both HD800 & SR009 ? Can you tell me why you keep both ? those headphones seemed too close to be complementary in my opinion but I'm interested to have your opinon.

 

[62ohm]

 

   
To be honest I don't think the cables make any difference at all as I suspect the improvements I heard were caused by going SE to Balanced (it's a Norne Skoll btw). I may get a Norne Draug V2 later on and do a direct comparison to know for sure by myself whether cables make difference or not. But yeah, TBH the major motivation of getting aftermarket cables for me is because of its looks 

 

 
Oh I would be buying them mostly for looks and because I think the stock cable feels rigid (looks probably a bigger part). Any better sound is probably just gravy. Is it heavier than the stock cable?

 
I don't notice any significant difference of weight.